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Yap Living History Museum

Coordinates: 9°30′58″N 138°7′18″E / 9.51611°N 138.12167°E / 9.51611; 138.12167
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9°30′58″N 138°7′18″E / 9.51611°N 138.12167°E / 9.51611; 138.12167

Yap Living History Museum
Yap Living History Museum
AbbreviationYLHM
FormationDecember 7, 2011; 12 years ago (2011-12-07)
Legal statusNon-profit
Location
  • Federated States of Micronesia
Key people
Don Evans (Chairman)
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/YapLivingHistoryMuseum

Yap Living History Museum is a museum in Colonia, Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a living history museum which is dedicated to Yapese culture.

Background

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Yap Living History Museum opened on 7 December 2011.[1] Its creation was supported by a €60,000 grant from the French government.[2][3][4] The museum was modelled on the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia.[4] Its creation was organised as a partnership between Yap Visitors Bureau and Yap State Historic Preservation Office.[4] The museum is governed by an advisory board.[5] In 1988 there were doubts over the foundation of the museum, since at the time there were only 1000 tourists visiting Yap each year.[6]

Buildings

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The museum consists of four traditionally built houses, as well as a climate-controlled collections centre.[7] The collections building is built in the style of a German colonial property, so that the museum is able to represent this era of the state's history.[8] Re-enactment is also an important aspect of the work of the museum.[9] There are also a number of platforms, as well as examples of stone money.[10] The traditional buildings are used for events, in particular those that support the continuation of Yaps cultural heritage practises, such as the Stone Money Carry.[7] It is also the location for Yap's annual canoe festival, celebrating Micronesian navigation,[11] as well the Homecoming Festival and Yap Day.[12] The audiences intended for many of these events are often tourists.[13]

Collections and research

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In 2019 the museum acquired the collection of Art Bergist, who had worked on Yap as a Peace Corps volunteer and teacher in the 1970s. This collection included educational materials, paintings and traditional shell money.[14] In 2015 the museum welcomed visitors from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in order to strengthen connections between cultural heritage researchers in Yap, Palau and Hawai'i.[15]

Overseas collections

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As a legacy of colonial occupation, many objects relating to Yap's cultural heritage are held in collections overseas, including: the British Museum;[16] National Museums Scotland;[17] Hearst Museum of Anthropology;[18] the Penn Museum;[19] the Metropolitan Museum of Art, amongst others.[20] In particular, Yap's Rai stones are held in several overseas museums, such as: National Museum of American History;[21] Museum of the National Bank of Belgium;[22] Bremen Museum; Osaka Museum; RBI Kolkata and others.

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References

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  1. ^ "Yap Living History Museum - Yap - Ocean Island Travel : Where your friends haven't gone". oceanislandtravel.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  2. ^ étrangères, Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires. "Relations bilatérales". France Diplomatie - Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (in French). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  3. ^ Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 152.
  4. ^ a b c Lin, Ming (2014). "Marshall Islands". ArtAsiaPacific Almanac. 9: 144–145. ISSN 1558-8904.
  5. ^ "YAP LIVING HISTORY MUSEUM TO OPEN | Pacific Islands Report". www.pireport.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  6. ^ Dark, Philip J.C. (1988). "Museums in Micronesia". Pacific Arts Newsletter (26): 12–20. ISSN 0111-5774. JSTOR 23408934.
  7. ^ a b "Bank of Guam employees donate to Yap cultural museum". Saipan Tribune. 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  8. ^ Staff, Pacific Island Times (2018-10-16). "Yap Living History Museum getting new additions". pactimes. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  9. ^ "Things To Do in Yap, Micronesia - Tourist Information". www.visityap.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  10. ^ Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 30.
  11. ^ "Yap to hold 8th canoe festival in December". Saipan Tribune. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  12. ^ Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 239.
  13. ^ Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 72.
  14. ^ "Yap Living History Museum receives donation of historical artifacts for new building". www.kpress.info. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  15. ^ Staff (2015-08-26). "PHOTOS: Delegation from UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College visits Yap and Palau". UH Hilo Stories. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  16. ^ "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  17. ^ "Vessel". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  18. ^ "Hearst Museum of Anthropology". hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  19. ^ "Model, Canoe - P1760A | Collections - Penn Museum". www.penn.museum. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  20. ^ "Weather Charm (Hos)". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  21. ^ "Rai Stone". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  22. ^ danneem. "The Stone of Yap — Museum of the National Bank of Belgium". Retrieved 2021-04-30.
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